Public health experts have warned that the delta variant of COVID-19 first detected in India remains a big threat to Nigeria, noting that it could spark a surge of the viral infection that will be difficult to contain.
According to the experts, while the country is vulnerable to a new wave of COVID-19 infection due to low vaccination coverage, the delta variant is of more concern because existing vaccines have not been conclusively proven to be effective against the strain confirmed to be more virulent and more transmissible.
The experts, Pharmaceutical Research Scientist, Prof. Martin Emeje, and Public Health Physician, Dr. Taiwo Obembe, warned that the delta variant of COVID-19 could find its way into the country anytime.
They stressed that the country should immediately begin to put in place measures to contain the variant confirmed to be responsible for a massive resurgence of COVID-19 infections, as well as deaths, in many countries of the world in the last few weeks.
According to the World Health Organisation, the delta variant is now the most transmissible variant of COVID-19 so far.
The global health agency warned that the strain is spreading massively around the world, particularly among unvaccinated people.
Already classified as “variant of concern”, WHO said the delta variant has already spread to 96 countries, as of June 29.
Speaking during a virtual media briefing on COVID-19 on Friday, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said globally, there is currently a lot of concern about the delta variant.
“As some countries ease public health and social measures, we are starting to see increases in transmission around the world.
“More cases mean more hospitalisations, further stretching health workers and health systems, which increases the risk of death,”the WHO DG warned.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise in an interview, Emeje, a molecular pharmaceutical researcher with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, said studies and practical experience, especially in India where the Delta variant originated from, shows that it is more virulent and difficult to contain because it replicates faster and evades body’s immunity.
“In fact, it is 60 per cent more transmissible than other variants and the faster the transmissibility, the more difficult it is to contain.
“While the vaccine companies, including scientists with vested interests, may jump to tell you that the existing vaccines, which I call ‘experimental vaccines’ are effective against this variant, the truth is that they are all guessing, and this is unfair.
“Until studies are conducted on every new strain, it is unscientific to declare them susceptible to the vaccines. So, my answer is, we do not know how effective the current vaccines are against the delta variant.
